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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28144980">Imaginary Friends</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/melissima/pseuds/melissima'>melissima</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ready Player One - Ernest Cline</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 16:14:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,006</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28144980</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/melissima/pseuds/melissima</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Art3mis needs a beta for her OASIS fanfic. She doesn't realize who that beta actually is.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Yuletide 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Imaginary Friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pegasus143/gifts">Pegasus143</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><strong>Author’s note</strong>. Thank you for reading my OASIS fanfic, OASIS and After. This story grew out of my desire to see OASIS reflect a truly better world. Not the OASIS we have now, which has morphed into wish-fulfillment for white straight cis-men with tech jobs. One day, when some gunter finds the egg, hopefully that person will have enough integrity to use their winnings to make a real difference in the world - to feed people who don’t have food, house those with inadequate shelter, give access to education to people who get shut out of it right now due to unfair credit practices or utility debts. Otherwise, OASIS is not what it claims to be, a new digital world. It’s just an extension of the old, shitty world into digital space. No one needs that, not really. ~ Art3mis</p>
<p>
  <strong>Comments:</strong>
</p>
<p><span class="u"><em> FaceThatLunched</em> </span>Wow. Just - wow. I hope the hunt goes just the way you wrote this, and that I’m there to see it. Especially the way 7Knights took down those sixers and then used the money to build that new, safe trailer stack with the school rooms and the tech levels. And trapping the bad guys in that bunker with the Small World theme playing on repeat? Classic! Is there any chance of more 7Knights adventures in the future?</p>
<p><span class="u"><em>Art3mis</em></span> maaaybe? I have to find a beta for it…</p>
<p><span class="u"><em>FaceThatLunched </em></span>Like, a spelling beta or a story beta? I’m not a writer but I can spell…</p>
<p><span class="u"><em>Art3mis</em></span> Sending you a PM…</p>
<p>
  <strong>Private message from Art3mis - 1 file attached</strong>
</p>
<p>Hey FTL, thanks for offering to beta read this! It’s long, and possibly boring - I wrote it to make myself feel better after the so-called OASIS “upgrade” into an arm of a soulless corporate entity. /gag, wretch, choke/ Feel free to tell me if it puts you to sleep, or if it makes no sense.</p>
<p><strong>Private message from FaceThatLunched - 1 file attached</strong> If only Anorak *would* magically return to kick those corporate assholes out of OASIS! I made any spelling stuff I noticed GREEN AND ALL CAPS so it would be easy to find. I noticed a couple of grammar things that I think might need looking at, so I made those PURPLE. I’m not a grammar expert, so I could be high or something.</p>
<p>P.S. I love this story, really, but if 7Knights could rant less about like, housing codes? I think the reader’s sense of urgency would be stronger.</p>
<p><strong>Private message from Art3mis</strong> Touché! I was helping my neighbor get the wiring in her kitchen repaired before it set her entire stack on fire yesterday. I guess I was preoccupied. Thank you so much for the quick turn-around! I have some stuff going on around here this week, but I’m hoping to have a new draft for you by the weekend.</p>
<p><strong>Private message from FaceThatLunched</strong> Holy crap, congratulations on the leaderboard, Art3mis! I don’t suppose you had any time to write, with all that gunter stuff going on…/poke poke/ lol</p>
<p><strong>Private message from FaceThatLunched</strong> You OK? I don’t mean to be a pest, I’m just worried about you.</p>
<p><strong>Private message from FaceThatLunched</strong> OK I’m trying not to freak out. Should I freak out? It’s been a week since you hit the leaderboard. Seriously, are you all right? Do you need anything?</p>
<p><strong>Private message from Art3mis - 1 file attached</strong> I’m so sorry! I have no worthy excuse. As an apology, I’m sending a new 7Knights story for you to read. Contact might be spotty for a week or two, I’m on the move IRL for a bit. I’m fine, don’t worry. P.S. Don’t be too impressed with the leaderboard stuff. It’s a group effort, if you can believe that…I can’t, quite.</p>
<p><strong>Private message from Art3mis</strong> /whiiiiiiiine/ Ugh. I can’t sleep and 7Knights won’t talk to me. What does it mean when my imaginary friends get mad at me? Should I scrap this whole draft and take the team back to before the copper key? You can be honest, it’s OK. I’d rather start over than keep going if it sucks.</p>
<p><strong>Private message from FaceThatLunched</strong> OK at the risk of sounding like somebody’s apron-wearing mother, you are kind of handling a lot right now? You’re in the top 5 on a global contest leaderboard, thousands of sixers are trying to find your ass in-game, you’re moving or whatever IRL, and your story character is being a dick. Maybe have a milkshake? I don’t know, take a deep breath, or a walk. Count some sheep or some shit. Let the poor story be. It doesn’t suck, it’s just not finished yet.</p>
<p><strong>Private message from Art3mis</strong> **** out of ***** Pep talk, good suggestions, relevant reminders, minimal mom-voice. Would listen again.</p>
<p><strong>Private message from FaceThatLunched</strong> /takes a bow/</p>
<p>
  <strong>Private message from Art3mis - 1 file attached</strong>
</p>
<p><strong>Private message from FaceThatLunched - 1 file attached</strong> You finished it! Oh. My. God. I knew you could make it all work out. The bit with the brick wall in-game, and the sixers just dying IRL? /shudders/ that is twisted. I sincerely hope you made that up, because if not, I may never enter OASIS again. OK not really. But /shudders/ ugh! Just when I think you’ve got me wishing I were a real gunter like you, you write about something like that, and it reminds me why I’m never, ever going to be that brave. Where do you come up with that stuff? No, don’t tell me. I don’t really want to know.</p>
<p>
  <strong>Private message from Art3mis - 1 file attached</strong>
</p>
<p><strong>Private message from FaceThatLunched</strong> - Oh my gawd Hahahahahahahaha! You made me a badass! /dies and is dead/ P.S. can BurgerMuncher be into girls <strike>like me</strike>?/ blush/</p>
<p><strong>Private message from Art3mis</strong> beta?</p>
<p><strong>Private message from FaceThatLunched - 1 file attached</strong> You’re posting this?</p>
<p><strong>Author’s note.</strong> Thank you for reading my OASIS fanfic, BurgerMuncher and The Sixer Cruncher Dumpster. This is pure, unadulterated sixer-bashing. Special thanks to my beta extraordinarie and friend,<strong> FaceThatLunched</strong>, for spelling, for milkshakes, and for talking to me when my imaginary friends won’t.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you Pegasus143  for an awesome prompt! Happy Yuletide!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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